Determination of phosphorus using capillary electrophoresis and micro-high-performance liquid chromatography hyphenated with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry for the quantification of nucleotides

We performed the quantification of phosphorus in deoxynucleotides using capillary electrophoresis (CE) and micro-HPLC (μHPLC) hyphenated with inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). DNA and its component units have conventionally been determined by photometry; however, more selective and sensitive methods are needed for small biological samples. CE and μHPLC offer the advantages of good separation and small consumption of samples, and ICP-MS is a highly sensitive technique for the determination of a chemical element. Therefore, we have developed an interface device for combining CE and μHPLC with ICP-MS for quantifying nucleotides based on phosphorus content. The interface utilizes 4.5 μL/min for nebulizing and effective introduction of the sample into ICP. The samples of nucleotides and free phosphoric acid were well separated in the CE–ICP-MS measurement, and the calibration curves (1–100 μg/mL) of the nucleotides showed a linear (R² > 0.999) increase in intensity. Similarly, the samples of nucleotides were baseline separated using μHPLC–ICP-MS, and the calibration curves of the nucleotides were linear (R² > 0.998). The detection limits of these species and phosphorus in nucleotides using CE–ICP-MS and μHPLC–ICP-MS were 0.77–6.5 ng/mL and 4.0–6.5 ng/mL, respectively. These values were about one or two orders lower than those in a previous report. The sample volumes of these experiments were calculated to be about 10 nL and 50 nL per analysis. Therefore, these analytical methods have the potential to be useful for the determination of biological samples, such as DNA and RNA molecules.     

Hyphenation of ionic liquid albumin glassy carbon biosensor or protein label-free sensor with differential pulse stripping voltammetry for interaction studies of human serum albumin with fenoprofen enantiomers

A new biosensor or protein label-free sensor composed of 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hexafluorophosphates (BMIMPF₆)-human serum albumin (HSA) film on glassy carbon electrode (GCE) was produced. Unfortunately, the native proteins themselves are often unstable in physiological conditions. Here, we introduced conjugation with ionic liquid (IL) such as BMIMPF₆ which improved the stability and binding affinity of protein onto GCE. A rapid, simple and reliable method for the chiral discrimination and real time protein binding studies of fenoprofen enantiomers with HSA was developed by hyphenating ionic liquid albumin glassy carbon (ILAGC) biosensor with differential pulse cathodic stripping voltammetry under physiological conditions. The electrochemical behavior of chiral fenoprofen was monitored by cyclic voltammetry, from which large response was obtained from l-fenoprofen. The surface coverage of fenoprofen enantiomers was calculated by double potential-step chronocoulometry. The binding constants of chiral fenoprofen with HSA were estimated to be 3.2 × 10⁵ ± 0.3 L mol⁻¹ and 0.8 × 10⁴ ± 0.4 L mol⁻¹ for l- and d-fenoprofen, respectively giving acceptable precision (SD ≤ 0.4) and good agreement with the literature values. The competitive interactions of ibuprofen with fenoprofen enantiomers–HSA were studied giving a significant decreasing in the binding degrees of analytes to HSA. The reciprocal competitive experiments indicated that l-fenoprofen replaced d-fenoprofen from HSA. The proposed electrochemical biosensor holds great potential for chiral discrimination and real time binding studies of drugs with protein.     

Study on the binding behavior of bovine serum albumin with cephalosporin analogues by chemiluminescence method

The luminol-bovine serum albumin chemiluminescence system was proposed for the first time. It was found that the hydrophilic luminol bound to the hydrophilic domain at Trp¹³⁴ of BSA with accelerating the electrons transferring rate of excited 3-aminophthalate, which led to the enhancement CL intensity of luminol at 425 nm. The increment of chemiluminescence intensity was proportional to the concentrations of bovine serum albumin from 5.0 × 10⁻¹¹ to 1.0 × 10⁻⁸ mol L⁻¹ with the linear equation of ΔI = 7.47C_BSA + 4.89 (R² = 0.9950). Based on the remarkable quenching effect of cephalosporin on the luminol-bovine serum albumin chemiluminescence system, the interaction of bovine serum albumin-cephalosporin was studied by flow injection-chemiluminescence method. A valuable model for studying the interaction of bovine serum albumin-cephalosporin was constructed and the formula lg[(I₀ − I)/I] = lg K_D + n lg[D] was obtained. The binding parameters calculated by the model did agree very well with the results obtained by fluorescence quenching method. The major binding force of bovine serum albumin with cephalosporins was the hydrophobic effect. The binding ability of cephalosporin analogues to bovine serum albumin followed the pattern: cefoperazone, ceftriaxone and cefotaxime > cefuroxime and cefaclor > cefadroxil, cefradine and cefazolin, which was close to the order of their antibacterial ability. Using flow injection chemiluminescence method also obtained the stoichiometric ratio, the average of association constant K_P and dissociation degree α of luminol-bovine serum albumin were 1:1, 1.12 × 10⁷ L mol⁻¹ and 0.086, respectively.     

Label-free colorimetric sensor for mercury(II) and DNA on the basis of mercury(II) switched-on the oxidase-mimicking activity of silver nanoclusters

In this paper, a novel colorimetric biosensor for Hg²⁺ and DNA molecules is presented based on Hg²⁺ stimulated oxidase-like activity of bovine serum albumin protected silver clusters (BSA-Ag NCs). Under mild conditions, Hg²⁺ activated BSA-Ag NCs to show high catalytic activity toward the oxidation of 3,3′,5, 5′-tetramethylbenzidine (TMB) using ambient dissolved oxygen as an oxidant. The oxidase-like activity of BSA-Ag NCs was “switched-on” selectively in the presence of Hg²⁺, which permitted a novel and facile colorimetric sensor for Hg²⁺. As low as 25 nmol L⁻¹ Hg²⁺ could be detected with a linear range from 80 nmol L⁻¹ to 50 mmol L⁻¹. In addition, the sensing strategy was also employed to detect DNA molecules. Hg²⁺ is known to bind very strongly and specifically with two DNA thymine bases (T) to form thymine–Hg²⁺–thymine (T–Hg²⁺–T) base pairs. The hairpin-structure was disrupted and Hg²⁺ ions were released after hybridization with the DNA target. By coupling the Hg²⁺ switched-on the oxidase-mimicking activity of BSA-Ag NCs, we developed a novel label-free strategy for facile and fast colorimetric detection of DNA molecules. More important, target DNA can be detected as low as 10 nmol L⁻¹ with a linear range from 30 to 225 nmol L⁻¹. Compared with other methods, this method presents several advantages such as the independence of hydrogen peroxide, high sensitivity and good selectivity, avoiding any modification or immobilization of DNA, which holds a great potential of metal NCs for clinical application in biosensing and biotechnology.     

Study of the binding equilibrium between Zn(II) and HSA by capillary electrophoresis-inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry

A new method has been developed for following the interaction between zinc ion and human serum albumin (HSA) by capillary electrophoresis-inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry. Under optimized experimental conditions, the detection limit (3σ) for free Zn²⁺ ion was found to be 1.34 μM by running 11 replicates of the reagent blank. The RSD was less than 3% and the recovery was more than 98.13%. The linear range of zinc ion concentration was between 5.1 μM and 0.3 M. The measured Zn(II)-HSA combination values of n₁ and K₁ for primary binding of Zn²⁺ to HSA were 1.09 and 2.29 × 10⁵ L mol⁻¹, respectively. The measured values of n₂ and K₂ for the non-specific binding of Zn²⁺ to HSA were 8.96 and 6.65 × 10³ L mol⁻¹, respectively. This new method allows rapid analysis of a small amount of sample, simple operation, while avoiding long periods of dialysis and eliminating interference from other metal ions. This method provides a reliable and convenient new way for studying interactions between metal ions and biomolecules.     

Hollow fiber liquid-phase microextraction for the determination of trace amounts of rosiglitazone (anti-diabetic drug) in biological fluids using capillary electrophoresis and high performance liquid chromatographic methods

A three-phase hollow fiber liquid-phase microextraction (HF-LPME) coupled either with capillary electrophoresis (CE) or high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with UV detection methods was successfully developed for the determination of trace levels of the anti-diabetic drug, rosiglitazone (ROSI) in biological fluids. The analyte was extracted into dihexyl ether that was immobilized in the wall pores of a porous hollow fiber from 10 mL of aqueous sample, pH 9.5 (donor phase), and was back extracted into the acceptor phase that contained 0.1 M HCl located in the lumen of the hollow fiber. Parameters affecting the extraction process such as type of extraction solvent, HCl concentration, donor phase pH, extraction time, stirring speed, and salt addition were studied and optimized. Under the optimized conditions (extraction solvent, dihexyl ether; donor phase pH, 9.5; acceptor phase, 0.1 M HCl; stirring speed, 600 rpm; extraction time, 30 min; without addition of salt), enrichment factor of 280 was obtained. Good linearity and correlation coefficients of the analyte was obtained over the concentration ranges of 1.0–500 and 5.0–500 ng mL⁻¹ for the HPLC (r² = 0.9988) and CE (r² = 0.9967) methods, respectively. The limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantitation (LOQ) for the HPLC and CE methods were (0.18, 2.83) and (0.56, 5.00) ng mL⁻¹, respectively. The percent relative standard deviation (n = 6) for the extraction and determination of three concentration levels (10, 250, 500 ng mL⁻¹) of ROSI using the HPLC and CE methods were less than 10.9% and 13.2%, respectively. The developed methods are simple, rapid, sensitive and are suitable for the determination of trace amounts of ROSI in biological fluids.     

Micellar electrokinetic chromatography assay for the simultaneous quantification of urinary transferrin and albumin

A micellar electrokinetic chromatography (MEKC) method for simultaneous determination of urinary transferrin and albumin has been developed. The performance of the assay was evaluated. Under the optimum conditions, the linearity of transferrin and albumin is in the range of 10~1000 mg L^?1. The detection limits are 1.3 mg L^?1 for transferrin and 1.1 mg L^?1 for albumin, with relative standard deviations of less than 5.4%. The within-run and between-run coefficients of variation were <5.5% for transferrin and <8.2% for albumin, respectively. The recoveries of transferrin and albumin are 97.7~106.1%. The performance of the MEKC assay was compared with radioimmunoassay, and correlated well with this.     

Fluorescent recognition of deoxyribonucleic acids by a quantum dot/meso-tetrakis(N-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin complex based on a photo induced electron-transfer mechanism

We have developed a new fluorescent probe of thioglycolic acid (TGA)-capped CdTe quantum dots (QDs) complexed with a model drug, meso-tetrakis(N-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin (TMPyP) for detecting deoxyribonucleic acids (DNAs). This probe operates with an “Off–On” mode: TMPyP quenches the photoluminescence (PL) of QDs via a photo induced electron-transfer (PIET) process; the presence of DNA can break the QD/TMPyP complexation, interrupting the PIET process, and switch on the PL of QDs. Sensitive detection of DNA with the detection limit of 0.16 nM and a linear detection range of 0.25–6.0 nM are achieved. Importantly, this probe can be used to distinguish the binding modes of DNA–TMPyP interactions, exhibiting the DNA sequence-dependent PL recovery behaviors. The obtained binding constant for poly(dA)·poly(dT) is ∼3.30 × 10⁷ L mol⁻¹, which is approximately one order of magnitude larger than those for native DNAs and poly(dG)·poly(dC). Furthermore, the thymine bases preferential of the TMPyP–DNA interaction is proved by this probe.     

Sensitive and selective electrochemical determination of quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid based on bilayer of novel poly(pyrrole) functional composite using one-step electro-polymerization and molecularly imprinted poly(o-phenylenediamine)

A facile and efficient molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) recognition element of electrochemical sensor was fabricated by directly electro-polymerizing monomer o-phenylenediamine (oPD) in the presence of template quinoxaline-2-carboxylic acid (QCA), based on one-step controllable electrochemical modification of poly(pyrrole)-graphene oxide-binuclear phthalocyanine cobalt (II) sulphonate (PPY-GO-BiCoPc) functional composite on glassy carbon electrode (GCE). The MIP film coated on PPY-GO-BiCoPc functional composite decorated GCE (MIP/PPY-GO-BiCoPc/GCE) was presented for the first time. The synergistic effect and electro-catalytic activity toward QCA redox of PPY-GO-BiCoPc functional composite were discussed using various contrast tests. Also, the effect of experimental variables on the current response such as, electro-polymerization cycles, template/monomer ratio, elution condition for template removal, pH of the supporting electrolyte and accumulation time, were investigated in detail. Under the optimized conditions, the proposed MIP sensor possessed a fast rebinding dynamics and an excellent recognition capacity to QCA, while the anodic current response of square wave voltammetry (SWV) was well-proportional to the concentration of QCA in the range of 1.0 × 10⁻⁸–1.0 × 10⁻⁴ and 1.0 × 10⁻⁴–5.0 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ with a low detection limit of 2.1 nmol L⁻¹. The established sensor was applied successfully to determine QCA in commercial pork and chicken muscle samples with acceptable recoveries (91.6–98.2%) and satisfactory precision (1.9–3.5% of SD), demonstrating a promising feature for applying the MIP sensor to the measurement of QCA in real samples.     

4-(1H-imidazol-1-yl) aniline: A new ligand of mixed-mode chromatography for antibody purification

4-(1H-imidazol-1-yl) aniline (AN) was immobilized on Sepharose CL-6B (AN-Sepharose) for use as a new ligand of mixed-mode chromatography. Adsorption equilibria of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) to AN-Sepharose were studied at extensive pH values (4.0–8.8) and salt concentrations (0–1.0 mol/L). Static binding studies indicated that AN-Sepharose had a good salt-tolerance property for IgG adsorption up to 1.0 mol/L NaCl. This was attributed to the combined ligand–protein interactions (hydrophobic interaction, hydrogen bonding and charge transfer interaction). By contrast with BSA, AN-Sepharose showed a high binding selectivity for IgG at NaCl > 0.2 mol/L. Dynamic binding capacities (DBC) of IgG and BSA at 10% breakthrough were measured at pH 4.0–8.8 by frontal analysis chromatography. IgG had DBC values over 40 mg/mL at pH 7.0–8.8, and the maximum reached 59 mg/mL at pH 8.0. At pH 5.0, a distinct drop in DBC to 8.5 mg/mL was observed, but that for BSA kept over 22 mg/mL. The result suggested that IgG could be selectively desorbed from AN-Sepharose by decreasing pH to about 5. Therefore, compared to BSA, AN-Sepharose exhibited a dual-selectivity for IgG in both adsorption and elution. Purification of IgG from bovine serum also confirmed the dual-selectivity. IgG purity of the pooled fractions by elution at pH 4.0, 4.5 and 5.0 reached 55% and the highest purity, 80%, was obtained at pH 4.5. The average purification factor of IgG was over 25. The results indicate that AN is a promising ligand of mixed-mode chromatography for antibody purification from a complex feedstock.     

Determination of gallium originated from a gallium-based anticancer drug in human urine using ICP-MS

Urine analysis gives an insight into the excretion of the administered drug which is related to its reactivity and toxicity. In this work, the capability of inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to measure ultratrace metal levels was utilized for rapid assaying of gallium originating from the novel gallium anticancer drug, tris(8-quinolinolato)gallium(III) (GaQ₃), in human urine. Sample dilution with 1% (v/v) HNO₃ as the only required pre-treatment was shown to prevent contamination of the sample introduction system and to reduce polyatomic interferences from sample components. The origin of the blank signal at masses of gallium isotopes, 71 and 69, was investigated using high-resolution ICP-MS and attributed, respectively, to the formation of ³⁶Ar³⁵Cl⁺ and ⁴⁰Ar³¹P⁺ ions and, tentatively, to a triplet of doubly charged ions of Ba, La, and Ce. The accuracy and precision performance was tested by evaluating a set of parameters for analytical method validation. The developed assay has been applied for the determination of gallium in urine samples spiked with GaQ₃. The achieved recoveries (95–102%) and quantification limit of 0.2 μg L⁻¹ emphasize the practical applicability of the presented analytical approach to monitor renal elimination of GaQ₃ at all dose levels in clinical trials that are currently in progress.     

A PVC-membrane bulk optode for gallium(III) ion determination

An optical probe responsive to gallium(III) ion has been developed. The gallium sensing system was prepared by incorporating 4-(p-nitrophenyl azo)-pyrocatechol (NAP) as ionophore in a plasticized PVC membrane containing tributylphosphate (TBP) as plasticizer. The sensing membrane in contact with gallium ion at pH 3.5, changes color from yellow-brown to pink-brown. Under optimum conditions, the proposed membrane displayed a linear range of 5-83 μM with a limit of detection of 4 μM. The response time of the membrane was within 10-15 min depending on the concentration of Ga³⁺ ions. The selectivity of the probe towards gallium determination was found to be very good. Experimental results showed that the probe could be used as an effective tool in analyzing the gallium content of water samples.     

A validated stripping voltammetric procedure for quantification of the anti-hypertensive and benign prostatic hyperplasia drug terazosin in tablets and human serum

The electrochemical behavior of terazosin at the hanging mercury drop electrode was studied in Britton-Robinson buffer (pH 2-11), acetate buffer (4.5-5.5), and in 0.1 M solution of each of sodium sulfate, sodium nitrate, sodium perchlorate and potassium chloride as supporting electrolytes. The square-wave adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammogram of terazosin exhibited a single well-defined two-electron irreversible cathodic peak which may be attributed to the reduction of CO double bond of the drug molecule. A fully validated, simple, high sensitive, precise and inexpensive square-wave adsorptive cathodic stripping voltammetric procedure was described for determination of terazosin in bulk form, tablets and human serum. A mean recovery for 1×10⁻⁸ M terazosin in bulk form, following preconcentration onto the hanging mercury drop electrode for 60 s at a −1.0 V (versus Ag/AgCl/KCl_s), of 99±0.7% (n=5) was obtained. Limits of detection (LOD) and quantitation (LOQ) of 1.5×10⁻¹¹ and 5×10⁻¹¹ M bulk terazosin were achieved, respectively. The proposed procedure was successfully applied to determination of the drug in its Itrin^® tablets and human serum samples. The achieved LOD and LOQ of the drug in human serum samples were 5.3×10⁻¹¹ and 1.8×10⁻¹⁰ M THD, respectively. The pharmacokinetic parameters of the drug in human plasma were estimated as: C_max=77.5 ng ml⁻¹, t_max=1.75 h, AUC_0-t=602.3 ng h ml⁻¹, K_e=0.088 h⁻¹ and t_1/2=11.32 h) which are favorably compared with those reported in literature.     

Disposable biosensor based on cathodic electrochemiluminescence of tris(2,2-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) for uric acid determination

A new method for uric acid (UA) determination based on the quenching of the cathodic ECL of the tris(2,2-bipyridine)ruthenium(II)–uricase system is described. The biosensor is based on a double-layer design containing first tris(2,2-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)₃²⁺) electrochemically immobilized on graphite screen-printed cells and uricase in chitosan as a second layer. The uric acid biosensing is based on the ECL quenching produced by uric acid over the cathodic ECL caused by immobilized Ru(bpy)₃²⁺ in the presence of uricase. The use of a −1.1 V pulse for 1 s with a dwelling time of 10 s makes it possible to estimate the initial enzymatic rate, which is used as the analytical signal. The Stern–Volmer type calibration function shows a dynamic range from 1.0 × 10⁻⁵ to 1.0 × 10⁻³ M with a limit of detection of 3.1 × 10⁻⁶ M and an accuracy of 13.6% (1.0 × 10⁻⁴ M, n = 5) as relative standard deviation. Satisfactory results were obtained for urine samples, creating an affordable alternative for uric acid determination.     

Solid phase extraction and preconcentration of uranium(VI) and thorium(IV) on Duolite XAD761 prior to their inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometric determination

A simple and effective method is presented for the separation and preconcentration of thorium(IV) and uranium(VI) by solid phase extraction on Duolite XAD761 adsorption resin. Thorium(IV) and uranium(VI) 9-phenyl-3-fluorone chelates are formed and adsorbed onto the Duolite XAD761. Thorium(IV) and uranium(VI) are quantitatively eluted with 2 mol L⁻¹ HCl and determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). The influences of analytical parameters including pH, amount of reagents, amount of Duolite XAD761 and sample volume, etc. were investigated on the recovery of analyte ions. The interference of a large number of anions and cations has been studied and the optimized conditions developed have been utilized for the trace determination of uranium and thorium. A preconcentration factor of 30 for uranium and thorium was achieved. The relative standard deviation (N = 10) was 2.3% for uranium and 4.5% for thorium ions for 10 replicate determinations in the solution containing 0.5 μg of uranium and thorium. The three sigma detection limits (N = 15) for thorium(IV) and uranium(VI) ions were found to be 4.5 and 6.3 ng L⁻¹, respectively. The developed solid phase extraction method was successively utilized for the determination of traces thorium(IV) and uranium(VI) in environmental samples by ICP-MS.     

Development of an analytical methodology for the determination of the antiparasitic drug toltrazuril and its two metabolites in surface water,soil and animal manure

This paper presents the development, optimization and validation of a LC–MS/MS methodology to determine the antiparasitic veterinary drug toltrazuril and its two main metabolites, toltrazuril sulfoxide and toltrazuril sulfone, in environmental surface water, soil and animal manure. Using solid phase extraction and selective pressurized liquid extraction with integrated clean-up, the analytical method allows for the determination of these compounds down to 0.06–0.13 ng L⁻¹ in water, 0.01–0.03 ng g⁻¹ dw in soil and 0.22–0.51 ng g⁻¹ dw in manure. The deuterated analog of toltrazuril was used as internal standard, and ensured method accuracy in the range 96–123% for water and 77–110% for soil samples. The developed method can also be applied to simultaneously determine steroid hormones in the solid samples. The antiparasitic drug and its metabolites were found in manure and soil up to 114 and 335 pg g⁻¹ dw, respectively. Little is known regarding the environmental fate and effects of these compounds; consequently more research is urgently needed.     

Preliminary evaluation of monolithic column high-performance liquid chromatography with tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) chemiluminescence detection for the determination of quetiapine in human body fluids

High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) chemiluminescence detection methodology is reported for the determination of the atypical antipsychotic drug quetiapine and the observation of its major active and inactive metabolites in human urine and serum. The method uses a monolithic chromatographic column allowing high flow rates of 3 mL min⁻¹ enabling rapid quantification. Flow injection analysis (FIA) with tris(2,2′-bipyridyl)ruthenium(II) chemiluminescence detection and HPLC time of flight mass spectrometry (TOF-MS) were used for the determination of quetiapine in a pharmaceutical preparation to establish its suitability as a calibration standard. The limit of detection achieved with FIA was 2 × 10⁻¹¹ mol L⁻¹ in simple aqueous solution. The limits of detection achieved with HPLC were 7 × 10⁻⁸ and 2 × 10⁻¹⁰ mol L⁻¹ in urine and serum, respectively. The calibration range for FIA was between 5 × 10⁻⁹ and 1 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹. The calibration ranges for HPLC were between 1 × 10⁻⁷-1 × 10⁻⁴ and 1 × 10⁻⁸-1 × 10⁻⁴ mol L⁻¹ in urine and serum, respectively. The quetiapine concentrations in patient samples were found to be 3 × 10⁻⁶ mol L⁻¹ in urine and 7 × 10⁻⁷ mol L⁻¹ in serum. Without the need for preconcentration, the HPLC detection limits compared favourably with those in previously published methodologies. The metabolites were identified using HPLC-TOF-MS.     

Hollow fiber liquid phase microextraction combined with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry for the determination of methylmercury in human hair and sludge samples

Two methods, based on hollow fiber liquid–liquid–liquid (three phase) microextraction (HF-LLLME) and hollow fiber liquid phase (two phase) microextraction (HF-LPME), have been developed and critically compared for the determination of methylmercury content in human hair and sludge by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry (GFAAS). In HF-LPME, methylmercury was extracted into the organic phase (toluene) prior to its determination by GFAAS, while inorganic mercury remained as a free species in the sample solution. In HF-LLLME, methylmercury was first extracted into the organic phase (toluene) and then into the acceptor phase (4% thiourea in 1 mol L^− 1 HCl) prior to its determination by GFAAS, while inorganic mercury remained in the sample solution. The total mercury was determined by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), and the levels of inorganic mercury in both HF-LLLME and HF-LPME were obtained by subtracting methylmercury from total mercury. The factors affecting the microextraction of methylmercury, including organic solvent, extraction time, stirring rate and ionic strength, were investigated and the optimal extraction conditions were established for both HF-LLLPME and HF-LPME. With a consumption of 3.0 mL of the sample solution, the enrichment factors were 204 and 55 for HF-LLLPME and HF-LPME, respectively. The limits of detection (LODs) for methylmercury were 0.1 μg L^− 1 and 0.4 μg L^− 1 (as Hg) with precisions (RSDs (%), c = 5 μg L^− 1 (as Hg), n = 5) of 13% and 11% for HF-LLLPME–GFAAS and HF-LPME–GFAAS, respectively. For ICP-MS determination of total mercury, a limit of detection of 39 ng L^− 1 was obtained. Finally, HF-LLLME–GFAAS was applied to the determination of methylmercury content in human hair and sludge, and the recoveries for the spiked samples were in the range of 99–113%. In order to validate the method, HF-LLLME–GFAAS was also applied to the analysis of a certified reference material of NRCC DORM-2 dogfish muscle, and the determined values were in good agreement with the certified values.     

Efficient hydrophobization and solvent microextraction for determination of trace nano-sized silver and titanium dioxide in natural waters

Hydrophobic silver and titanium (IV) oxide nanoparticles (commercial Ag and TiO₂ NPs with average particle sizes of 17 and 19 nm, respectively) were quantitatively transferred into organic phase in natural water samples. Five NP surface modification and solvent extraction agents (reagents) types, mercaptocarboxylic acid, alkylamine, mediator solvent, extraction solvent, and surfactant, were investigated and optimized with three-level orthogonal array design (OAD), an OA₂₇ (3¹³) matrix. The most favorable reagents and experimental conditions were then examined. The best extraction efficiencies of 78.6 and 73.7% were obtained for 1 mg L⁻¹ citrate-stabilized Ag and TiO₂ NPs, respectively, with 0.5 mM of 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid, 1.5 mM of octadecylamine, 1 mL of methanol, 150 μL of cyclohexane, 0.05 mM of tetra-n-octylammonium bromide, pH = 8.0, adsorption time of 2 h, sonication time of 3 min, and centrifugation time of 10 min. Enrichment factors were 97 and 83, for Ag and TiO₂ NPs, respectively. The optimum extraction conditions were successfully applied to genuine water samples at spiking levels of 2–100 μg L⁻¹ of Ag and TiO₂ NPs. The relative recoveries of (69.0–85.1)% and (61.5–78.5)% were obtained for Ag and TiO₂ NPs, respectively. The extracted surface-modified NPs were characterized with transmission electron microscopy, selected area electron diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray, ultraviolet–visible, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic techniques. Based on the results, efficient ligand exchange and acid–base pair formation were observed on the NP surface without significant change in its original properties. The organic phase was microwave digested, and analyzed with inductively coupled plasma (ICP) optical emission spectroscopy and ICP mass spectrometry (ICP-MS). Detection limits of ICP-MS analyses of Ag and TiO₂ NPs were 0.02 and 0.07 μg L⁻¹, respectively.     

Synthesis,characterization, DNA interaction and cleavage activity of new mixed ligand copper(II) complexes with heterocyclic bases

Mixed ligand complexes having the formulae Cu(RPO)₂Py₂, Cu(RPO)₂Im₂ and Cu(DBO)₂Py₂ [RPO = resacetophenone oxime, DBO = 2,4-dihydroxybenzophenone oxime, Py = pyridine and Im = imidazole] have been synthesized and characterized by UV–Vis, IR, ESR, cyclic voltammetry and magnetic susceptibility methods. Absorption studies revealed that each of these octahedral complexes is an avid binder of calf thymus DNA. The apparent binding constants for mixed ligand complexes are in order of 10⁴–10⁵ M⁻¹. Based on the data obtained in the DNA binding studies a partial intercalative mode of binding is suggested for these complexes. The nucleolytic cleavage activity of the adducts was carried out on double stranded pBR322 circular plasmid DNA by using a gel electrophoresis experiment in the presence and absence of oxidant (H₂O₂). All the metal complexes cleaved supercoiled DNA by hydrolytic and oxidative paths. The oxidative path dominates the hydrolytic cleavage. The hydrolytic cleavage of DNA is evidenced from the control experiments showing discernable cleavage inhibition in the presence of the hydroxyl radical inhibitor DMSO or the singlet oxygen quencher azide ion.